As the season approached, all of Europe was immersed in anticipation of the new season.
The Big Five Leagues and their respective teams were still in full swing preparing for battle.
The most attention was still on three teams!
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona!
The level of attention was in the same order as the listing.
As the treble winner of last season, having clinched the Champions League, Bundesliga, and German Cup, Bayern Munich finally achieved their ultimate goal and successfully ascended to the pinnacle of Europe.
Last season, Bayern Munich forcefully swept through Europe, and in this process, even Real Madrid could not halt their progress.
And thanks to the treble and numerous outstanding performances, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the most watched star.
Of course, broadly speaking, Cristiano Ronaldo still cannot match Suker's influence with his five Ballon d'Or awards, but at this stage, his popularity is indeed higher than Suker's.
Bayern Munich is also sparing no effort to help Cristiano Ronaldo with various publicity and promotion campaigns.
Compared to the original timeline, Bayern Munich's rather haphazard promotion of Franck Ribéry, Cristiano Ronaldo's promotion is more systematic and large-scale.
Relying on the Bundesliga's home base, they continuously transmit various information through well-known domestic media.
However, German media are not that easy to deal with.
Stubborn and rigid Germans still prioritize data, but with Cristiano Ronaldo's excellent performance last season, they are also very willing to help Cristiano Ronaldo expand his influence.
After all, this not only helps Cristiano Ronaldo but also helps the Bundesliga.
Next is Real Madrid!
Although they missed out on the Champions League last season, being eliminated in the semi-finals, for many, Real Madrid was not in their best form last season.
The team encountered various problems throughout the entire season, which also led to a decline in their combat effectiveness.
But these are not excuses; team management is also part of strength, so Real Madrid has never shirked responsibility for this, merely stating that they will do better next season.
And what changes Ancelotti's arrival will bring to Real Madrid is also the focus of discussion.
After all, so far, Real Madrid has not released any news.
The media only learned bits and pieces from their pre-season opponents.
But there was no more news.
And in this scarce information, they couldn't find any key things.
Therefore, Real Madrid's current state is still a mystery.
They can only wait for the Spanish Super Cup to start to understand the situation in detail.
Barcelona's influence has somewhat declined.
No way!
Although they emerged out of nowhere, their tiki-taka football amazed the football world.
However, in subsequent developments, they failed to achieve sufficient honors.
Since 2009, the best award given to Barcelona has been the Copa del Rey.
For five long years, they failed to win the La Liga Championship, let alone the Champions League.
Real Madrid suppressing Barcelona has long been a topic of relish among fans.
However, Barcelona still hasn't given up, and this season they have widely recruited foreign players.
Among them, the most anticipated is undoubtedly the talented Brazilian player Neymar.
This Brazilian genius, who emerged out of nowhere, is hailed as the 'Last Samba Dancer'.
In an era where football styles in European football are gradually becoming systematic and stylized, he uses ancient 'ginga' techniques, with imaginative dribbling and passing, continuously imbuing football with entertainment value.
Therefore, for many, they are wondering if Neymar's appearance will be like Pelé in a bygone era.
Rewriting the style of football on his own.
Of course, for Neymar to achieve this effect, it's still a long way to go.
What's more, in the League he plays in, Real Madrid is like a big mountain pressing down on them.
As for Barcelona's current situation, it is also unknown; Real Madrid has not announced their pre-season matches, and neither has Barcelona.
Now, Spanish journalists are somewhat annoyed by this 'internal competition' model.
Everyone is hiding things, afraid that the other party will know their latest news and target them.
But they also have no choice; currently, the La Liga Championship race is still between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But what they don't know is… La Liga has entered a three-pole era!
"Atletico Madrid?"
Ancelotti's technical analyst couldn't help but exclaim, "We've always collected their information, but can they really threaten us?"
Atletico Madrid has always been a championship runner-up within La Liga.
Even last season, despite their excellent performance, they still finished third in the League standings.
Moreover, the technical analyst believes that Atletico Madrid, when facing Real Madrid and Barcelona, inherently has a problem of being suppressed by their lineage; if they can play at eighty percent of their overall strength, that's already a blessing.
"We cannot be careless in the slightest," Ancelotti puffed on his cigarette, his eyes narrowed into a line as he looked at the documents in his hand through the smoke.
If this information is not excellent, then this Atletico Madrid team already possesses the strength to truly threaten Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Even, if things go wrong, they might be taken advantage of.
Real Madrid's main competitor is Barcelona.
But they also cannot relax their guard against these newly emerging teams.
After all, La Liga has also seen teams that broke Real Madrid and Barcelona's monopoly on the La Liga Championship.
The most famous among them is undoubtedly the blue and white storm that swept through La Liga in the mid-to-late 80s.
This team "punched" Real Madrid and "kicked" Barcelona, winning a La Liga and Copa del Rey title respectively in just a few years, and also clinching two Spanish Super Cups, which led fans to upgrade the team to 'Champion Depor'.
And their performance in the Champions League was even dubbed 'Super Depor' by fans.
Besides that, Valencia was also one of the teams that broke the monopoly.
Although the monopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona still prevails, no one can stop the stunning performances of these suddenly rising teams that amaze the world.
And today's Atletico Madrid gives off that feeling!
The Atletico Madrid built by Simeone, with its strict discipline, formidable fighting style, and performance on both offense and defense, has already formed the capital to challenge for the championship.
Therefore, for Ancelotti, Barcelona must be defended against, and Atletico Madrid must also be defended against.
After instructing the technical analysis department, as Ancelotti stepped out of the office building, he saw a figure wearing a Real Madrid coach's uniform jogging over.
Looking at the figure, Ancelotti couldn't help but smile, "You're still so fond of being late!"
Zidane waved his hand: "I wasn't late, I asked for leave. You know, I went to take the coaching license exam!"
Ancelotti smiled: "I'm just kidding."
Zidane also smiled: "This reminds me of when I was still playing for Juventus. Thank you for not letting the bus leave back then."
Ancelotti and Zidane's relationship dates back to their time at Juventus in 1999.
At that time, Ancelotti was the Head Coach of Juventus!
And Zidane was the star player of Juventus.
But this star player was late, and Ancelotti immediately ordered not to wait and to leave directly.
However, the driver didn't dare to move.
Soon, at the persuasion of his teammates and captain, Ancelotti decided to wait, and Zidane indeed had been delayed by something. In the match, his good performance also satisfied Ancelotti.
And after the match, Zidane also specifically apologized to Ancelotti.
Their relationship immediately eased, and through this small 'misunderstanding,' they became even closer.
And this time, they are collaborating again after more than ten years.
However, this time Zidane is Ancelotti's assistant.
"You were a difficult one back then too, you gave me a lot of headaches," Ancelotti said with a chuckle.
Some things, when recalled now, are just amusing anecdotes.
Zidane also shook his head and sighed, "I was young back then, always wanting to be unconventional. Thanks to your help, I didn't become arrogant."
Zidane was very grateful to Ancelotti for not suppressing him when he was at his most 'arrogant,' but rather guiding and persuading him, which gradually made Zidane realize his problems and his inner self became more mature.
If Ancelotti had chosen to suppress him then, Zidane would have pushed back hard, and the situation would have spiraled out of control.
"I must have given you a lot to worry about back then, right?" Zidane said with a chuckle.
Ancelotti also smiled, "Of course, you were too mischievous back then. You are definitely the most difficult player I've ever seen."
Just as he finished speaking, the dressing room door not far away suddenly burst open.
Suker led the way, followed by a large crowd behind him.
The sight was intimidating, as if they were going to war.
Ancelotti and Zidane, who were not far away, grimaced.
Zidane: "I feel like I was quite obedient."
Ancelotti was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Hmm!"
On the training ground, the players were training in an orderly manner.
The current training is all in preparation for the upcoming Spanish Super Cup.
This is an official match before the League, and the opponent is still Barcelona!
"We've had three warm-up matches in these three weeks," Zidane turned his head and asked, "Has the tactical system been built?"
Ancelotti nodded slightly, then shook his head.
"The basic construction has been completed, and the warm-up matches have also shown that everything is effective, but it still needs to be verified through match after match."
Zidane: "That's no problem. We can adjust throughout the first half of the season. As long as we don't fall too far behind in points, the second half of the season is when we sprint."
Generally speaking, many teams make various adjustments in the first half of the season.
They won't pay too much attention to points.
For championship-contending teams, being in the first tier is enough.
After entering the second half of the season, battles for points, relegation battles, and other exciting events gradually appear, and the intensity and competitiveness of matches will increase.
Of course, this is the usual rhythm.
But there are also unusual times!
Looking at Ancelotti's expression, Zidane blinked and suddenly said, "Are you afraid someone will jump the gun?"
A season starts in August and ends in May of the following year.
It spans 10 months, and in this long period, how to ensure the team's competitiveness, players' physical fitness, form, and other factors, there is an unspoken rhythm for this.
It's like a long-distance race; everyone tacitly agrees to run at the same frequency and rhythm after the start.
But there are also some maverick teams that suddenly exert themselves at the beginning of the season.
While everyone else is jogging, this guy is sprinting!
This not only disrupts the rhythm of the overall large group but also creates a pattern of internal competition.
And this kind of deviation from the normal and common League rhythm is the factor that top teams fear the most.
Once someone jumps the gun, it means the overall rhythm will inevitably be stretched!
Especially if a points gap is opened in the first half of the season, and the opponent is not weak, it will be very difficult to close the gap in the second half of the season.
Zidane stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, saying, "Jumping the gun is a very dangerous way of playing. One wrong move, and the season could be ruined."
"Many teams have tried it before, but they were all mid-to-lower-table teams, trying to gain temporary attention and popularity. Generally, by the middle of the season, after the winter break, factors such as physical exhaustion, player injuries, and declining form will all follow, until they gradually collapse."
Ancelotti: "What if it's a powerful top team?"
Zidane was stunned for a moment: "Do they need to? Even if they play steadily, they still have the strength to contend for the championship!"
Ancelotti sighed: "From 2009 onwards, for four consecutive seasons, Real Madrid won four League Championships. All teams within La Liga were suppressed. Do you think there won't be any surprises?
"If you were the Head Coach of Barcelona, or if you coached Atletico Madrid, would you want to see Real Madrid dominate?"
"Are you saying they will cooperate?"
"I don't know!" Ancelotti shook his head; "But I can be sure that this season, whether it's Barcelona or other teams, when they face us, they will do their best to weaken us!"
No one likes the emergence of a dominant team that monopolizes the League.
Bundesliga has no choice; resources are overly concentrated.
But in a rotating League like the Premier League, if you show any signs of emerging, you'll be attacked by the whole group.
Manchester United, Arsenal, and even Chelsea in the past, they all experienced these situations.
La Liga is not as internally competitive as the Premier League, but precisely because of Real Madrid's excellent performance and League dominance.
It is very likely that other La Liga teams will unite to exhaust them to death.
La Liga teams will not allow a dominant team to emerge internally.
"It shouldn't, right?" Zidane was also a bit unsure.
The probability of La Liga teams uniting to weaken Real Madrid is not very high.
But after four consecutive championships, if they don't make changes, and Real Madrid wins the League Championship again this season, then they will truly be the La Liga overlords.
"Better safe than sorry. Being vigilant is not a bad thing anyway." Ancelotti rubbed his brows and sighed, "I just feel like this season won't be easy!"
Zidane also let out a breath: "But no matter what, we just need to play every match well. After all, Real Madrid has also created an undefeated season before!"
"An undefeated season, huh~"
Ancelotti couldn't help but grin.
During Real Madrid's undefeated season, the entire team's spirit was at its peak, with a strong desire for championships, for matches, and for glory.
These desires and ambitions became their motivation.
But once you've had that, it's hard for it to happen again.
Once you've tasted the feeling of reaching the summit, that strong inner urge is very difficult to cultivate again.
However, Real Madrid is a top team after all. Even without such intense and extreme ambition, they can still achieve their goals through other means.
At this moment, competitive training had already begun on the field.
Zidane blinked and looked at the pitch.
"So fast!"
Zidane couldn't help but exclaim. Real Madrid's passing frequency in attack was too fast; sometimes his mind couldn't keep up, but they had already made the pass.
"The so-called system is when the body reacts faster than the mind." Ancelotti pointed to his head and said, "If every pass requires observation before passing, it will greatly slow down the rhythm. Therefore, patterned movement is crucial."
"Off-ball players know where to run, and on-ball players know where to pass!"
"The body reacts faster than the mind, then delivers the fatal blow!"
Suker feigned a pass and gently pushed the ball horizontally with his right foot.
Benzema immediately followed up and poked the ball into the net with his toe.
Throughout the entire process, Real Madrid's defense could only watch helplessly; they simply couldn't keep up with Real Madrid's rhythm.
Often, as soon as they started moving, the opponent had already passed the ball.
"Beautiful!"
Suker held out his hands, and Benzema clapped them forcefully.
After high-fiving, the two embraced again.
Their faces were filled with joyful smiles.
This was the result of their three weeks of work; they almost knew where to pass without even looking up.
Patterned offense!
Swift rhythm!
Of course, this is only the initial stage of the attacking combination; subsequent stages will require the addition of rhythm changes.
For example, in a patterned attack, a sudden pause to catch the opponent off guard with a change in rhythm.
However, Suker and the others are not particularly familiar with this yet, and the success rate is not high.
They need to build this chemistry through matches.
"I feel like the midfield has changed too," Zidane said.
Ancelotti nodded: "The change in the midfield mainly comes from shifting from horizontal passes left and right to diagonal forward passes."
"While horizontal passes left and right can stabilize the situation, they lack progression. Therefore, I require them to pass diagonally forward!"
"In this process, Kroos mainly stands sideways, opening up his body, which is more conducive to attack."
At this point, Ancelotti couldn't help but grimace and say, "Didn't you teach him to open his body?"
Hearing this, Zidane scratched his head awkwardly.
Last season, Leidup wasn't involved, and he had a pile of work he couldn't finish, so he couldn't pay attention to this detail.
And after Ancelotti corrected this detail, Real Madrid's offense became even smoother.
"This is how it is for now." Ancelotti pursed his lips; "For the Spanish Super Cup, we'll first see Barcelona's situation. After the season starts, we'll play according to the specific circumstances, but this season, both the starters and the substitutes will have a tough time!"
At this point, Ancelotti smiled: "Fortunately... our bench depth is still quite good!"